Bai Li was completely exhausted after everything that had just happened, to the point where even standing upright for too long felt like a burden. The moment she stepped fully into the safe radius of the interdimensional market, her body finally gave up on pretending to hold on any longer. She just dropped down onto the rooftop without caring about posture or how she looked, her back hitting the ground as she let out a long breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding in for so long. Her chest rose and fell heavily, each breath dragging in air like her lungs had forgotten how to work properly. There was still blood all over her, splattered across her hands, her sleeves, even faint traces on her face and neck, but for once, she didn’t care at all. Normally, she would have been annoyed, irritated, even a little obsessed with cleaning it off immediately, but right now that part of her felt completely drained. It was like her cleanliness obsession had been beaten out of her by the day itself. All she could think about now was staying alive. Everything else could wait.

She lay there for a bit, staring up at the sky, her vision slightly unfocused as her body slowly tried to calm down. The rooftop felt strangely quiet compared to everything that came before. The constant noise of chaos, the screaming, the growling, the frantic running, all of it had dropped into the background the moment they stepped into this space. It wasn’t completely silent of course, the zombies were still there, still making those horrible sounds as they pushed against the invisible barrier, but it felt distant somehow, like it couldn’t touch her anymore. That alone made her relax just a little, even if she didn’t fully let her guard down.

Yan Cijin didn’t say anything when she saw Bai Li like this. She understood this kind of exhaustion. It wasn’t just physical, it was mental too, the kind that came after pushing yourself too close to the edge for too long. Instead of disturbing her, she simply sat down beside her, her movements calm and unhurried, her eyes drifting toward the swarm of zombies outside the barrier. There were a lot of them. Easily close to a hundred just on the rooftop and near the entrances, and more still trying to come up from below. It was a suffocating sight if someone really focused on it. A normal person would probably panic just seeing that many monsters gathered in one place, but Yan Cijin only observed them quietly, her expression unchanged.

After a moment, her gaze shifted back to Bai Li. She looked at her for a bit longer than usual, her eyes carrying a strange intensity, like she was trying to understand something deeper than just what was on the surface. There were a lot of thoughts running through her mind. About Bai Li. About her strength. About the way she acted. About how things were already starting to change compared to her previous lives. But in the end, she didn’t say any of it. She just smiled faintly, that same small, almost hidden smile, and then tilted her head slightly to look up at the sky, as if nothing was wrong at all.

Bai Li didn’t notice any of that. Or even if she did, she didn’t have the energy to care. Her whole body felt like it had been pulled apart and then roughly put back together again. Her arms trembled slightly every time she tried to move them, her fingers feeling weak, her legs heavy like they didn’t belong to her anymore. The memory of the fire escape flashed through her mind again, that terrifying moment when she almost slipped, when the zombie grabbed her, when she felt that sudden drop beneath her feet. Even now, thinking about it made her chest tighten slightly. If things had gone just a little differently, if she had reacted just a little slower, she would have died there. No second chance. No escape. Just a fall and then... nothing.

She stayed like that for about a minute, maybe a little more, before finally forcing herself to sit up. Her movements were slow, stiff, like every part of her body was protesting, but she pushed through it anyway. Resting too long wasn’t an option. Not here. Not now.

The rooftop still looked the same, zombies crowded outside the barrier, some still trying to push forward, some getting shoved aside by others behind them, their movements messy and chaotic as always. They didn’t have much intelligence, so even though they couldn’t get through, they still kept trying. It was almost stupid to watch, but also terrifying in its own way, because it showed just how relentless they were. No fear. No hesitation. Just endless hunger.

But what mattered more was time.

Bai Li’s expression slowly turned serious as she remembered something important. The interdimensional market wouldn’t stay here forever. It only lasted for ten minutes. Just ten. That was all they had.

After that, it would disappear.

And when it did, this safe space would vanish with it.

And all of those zombies outside... would come rushing in.

The thought made her frown deeply as she pushed herself fully to her feet, ignoring the slight dizziness that came with it. She looked around the rooftop again, her eyes scanning every possible direction, every possible path. But no matter how she looked at it, the situation was still bad. The main entrances were blocked. Completely flooded with zombies. The fire escape stairs they had used were even worse now, probably packed with bodies all the way down. Going back that way would be suicide. There were only a few options left, and none of them were easy.

Her gaze slowly shifted toward the edge of the building.

The outside.

If she didn’t take the stairs... then the only way was down from the outside.

The idea formed quickly in her mind. She had a rope in her backpack. If she could secure it properly, she might be able to descend a few floors, maybe reach the 10th or 9th floor, break a window, and get inside from there. The zombies were mostly concentrated above right now, drawn by the market. Lower floors might be less crowded.

It was risky.

Very risky.

And right now... she wasn’t even sure she had the strength to do it.

Let alone doing it while helping another person.

Yan Cijin noticed the change in her expression immediately. She already knew what Bai Li was thinking, because she had been in this exact situation before in her previous life. The same rooftop. The same zombies. The same impossible feeling of being surrounded with no way out. Back then, she had barely survived through sheer luck. If things had gone even slightly wrong, she would have been torn apart by those monsters the moment the market disappeared.

"What’s wrong?" she asked anyway, her voice calm, even though she already knew the answer.

Bai Li pressed her lips together slightly and shook her head. She didn’t feel like explaining everything out loud. There wasn’t enough time for that anyway. Her thoughts were already moving ahead, calculating, planning, doubting. Could she do it? Could she actually climb down like that in her current condition? And more importantly...

Could she leave Yan Cijin behind?

The answer came almost instantly.

No.

She couldn’t.

Not after what happened earlier. Not after Yan Cijin helped her on the stairs. Not after seeing her fight, seeing her stay calm, seeing her not panic even in that kind of situation.

Bai Li wasn’t someone who easily trusted others.

But she wasn’t someone who would abandon someone who had saved her either. Besides, she herself knows that even without all these justifications, she wouldn’t abandon this woman who has somehow captured her mind in just a few encounters.

Her eyes shifted toward the interdimensional market again.

Right now... that was her only hope.

If she could get something useful from it. Something strong. Something that could change the situation even a little.

Then maybe...

Maybe they could survive this.

With that thought in mind, Bai Li stopped hesitating. She turned and walked toward the machine, her steps still a bit heavy but much more determined now. Yan Cijin followed right beside her without saying anything, her expression calm as always, though there was a faint amusement hidden deep in her eyes.

The machine’s screen was glowing softly, waiting.

Bai Li reached out and interacted with it, quickly navigating to the option for loading crystal cores. The moment she selected it, a small drawer-like compartment slid out smoothly from the front of the machine, accompanied by a faint mechanical sound that somehow still felt different from any normal machine.

The screen lit up brighter.

"Please insert 354 Level 1 zombie crystal cores."

Bai Li paused for a split second.

Then she casually put her hands into her pockets, as if the cores had been there all along.

With a thought, she began transferring them into the drawer one by one, her movements looking natural from the outside, like she was simply taking them out and placing them in. The machine responded immediately, the screen updating as each core was "inserted," the number increasing steadily.

What she didn’t realize...

Was that Yan Cijin saw through everything.

The way she moved. The slight mismatch in motion. The absence of actual physical transfer.

It was obvious.

But instead of exposing her, Yan Cijin simply watched quietly, her lips curling ever so slightly in amusement.

This woman...

Was getting more and more interesting.

When the number on the screen finally reached 354, Bai Li stopped, her hand pausing slightly as if she was still about to take out another crystal core before realizing she had already reached the required amount. The drawer slowly slid back inside the machine with a soft mechanical sound, and at the same time, the screen changed. The faint flowing patterns disappeared, replaced by rows of items that appeared one after another, lighting up the surface in a neat arrangement.

Two rows.

A lot of items.

All displayed clearly in front of her.

For a moment, Bai Li didn’t even react. She just stared at the screen, her breathing still a little uneven from earlier, but now there was something else mixed into it. Anticipation. A bit of excitement. Maybe even hope.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

Because the moment she actually started reading what was being displayed... her expression slowly stiffened.

Food.

Mostly food.

Drinks.

Strange dishes with weird names.

Some glowing slightly, some rotating slowly like they were being showcased, all of them looking way too normal for something that was supposed to come from some kind of interdimensional place.

Bai Li blinked once, then leaned a bit closer, her brows furrowing as she read through them one by one.

The first one that caught her eye was something called "Moon Rabbit Meat Stew." The image showed a small bowl filled with silver colored broth, tiny pieces of meat floating inside that seemed to glow faintly like they were reflecting moonlight. The description said it could give night vision for thirty minutes. Price: 350 crystal cores.

"...Seriously?" Bai Li muttered under her breath, her lips twitching slightly.

Next to it was "Old Woman’s Bird Wings." The name alone already made her feel weird, but the image didn’t help either. It looked like a plate of roasted wings, golden and crispy, with steam rising from it. Apparently, it tasted amazing and gave the ability to fly for thirty minutes.

That sounded good.

Until she read the next line.

"Consumer will temporarily transform into a giant chicken during flight."

Bai Li’s face went completely blank for a second.

"...No."

She didn’t even hesitate. That was an instant rejection.

Her eyes moved to the next item.

"Spicy Lava Noodles." A bowl of noodles that looked like it was literally boiling with red liquid, tiny sparks of flame flickering above it. Eating it would increase body temperature and physical strength for twenty minutes, but also caused extreme sweating and a burning sensation.

.

.

.

To be continued.